This Child Will Be Great: Memoir of a Remarkable Life by Africa's First Woman President Book

The root cause of conflict is not simply poverty but poverty brought on by exclusion. Exclusion in its broadest context: exclusion from resources, from power, from education and information, from the opportunity to better one's life. (p. 305)

This is a hard review to write! I'm a little bit floored by this complicated, powerful woman. I am awed by what she has done with the adversity she overcame, and her simple but unshakeable commitment to sound, ethical governance. But I'm struck by her politicking, her profession (banker), and her equally unshakeable strategic drive. I don't mean to posit these striking traits as "bad" things in contrast to the awe-inspiring; just to suggest that this woman commands deep respect but not necessarily sympathy. She's a powerhouse.

This book is worth reading. Thoughtfully. I learned much too much about recent Liberian history in it, and it would behoove me to read something less biased to understand Sirleaf critically. I'll direct the rest of my thoughts toward the engaging discussion going on in the Great African Reads book club.